Roadside checks to target rogue traders

Peter Carroll and his firm P Carroll Fishers, based in Durham, have been banned from selling fish or seafood in Lancashire after Carroll, 49, of Sycamore Road, Kimbleworth, Chester-le-Street, Durham, admitted engaging in unfair commercial practice after two pensioners were pressured into buying hundreds of pounds of fish

Published:12:54Saturday 13 May 2017

Roadside checks were carried out this week as Lancashire Police and Trading Standards joined forces to disrupt dishonest traders and scammers as part of a UK-wide crackdown.

Activities as part of Operation Rogue Trader included roadside checks on traders reminding them of consumer laws which give people rights to cancel contracts signed in their own homes and visits to people identified as being potential victims of scam mail.

Visits were made to 65 people who had replied to scams, their letters having being retrieved by the National Trading Standards Scams Hub.

In the last year, Lancashire Trading Standards has received 174 calls about doorstep incidents and nearly 500 complaints about scams.

Paul Noone, head of Lancashire County Council Trading Standards Service said: “Operation Rogue Trader is a key part of the national strategy to proactively target this type of criminality and ensure that agencies are effective in sharing information and resources.

“Rogue traders prey on our most vulnerable residents, conning them out of vast sums of money, which in many cases is their life savings.”

In April a businessman was banned from selling fish or seafood in Lancashire after his firm pressured elderly people into buying hundreds of pounds’ worth.

Preston Crown Court took the unusual step of issuing the three-year ban after hearing how Peter Carroll’s firm, P Carroll Fishers, based in Durham, struck in Lancashire in 2015.